Beijing meeting sees both sides agree to enhance dialogue, cooperation in key areas
Beijing and Washington agreed to further roll out dialogues and collaboration in areas including the two nations’ militaries, climate change, and artificial intelligence, as senior Chinese and US officials wrapped up their two-day strategic communication in Beijing on Aug 28.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, co-chaired the high-level talks with United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
The two sides “had a candid, substantive and constructive discussion”, a Foreign Ministry statement said on Aug 28.
Observers said the productive Beijing meeting can help manage differences and stabilize bilateral ties in the near future. Wang and Sullivan previously held three rounds of strategic communications in Austria, Malta, and Thailand.
The two sides also discussed “having a new round of interactions between the two heads of state in the near future”, the ministry said.
They agreed to continue implementing the consensus reached at last year’s San Francisco summit and to maintain high-level exchanges and communication at various levels.
As part of the meeting’s outcomes, the two countries agreed to continue cooperation in counternarcotics, law enforcement, repatriation of illegal immigrants, and addressing climate change.
The two sides agreed on several institutional arrangements, including holding video conversations between commanders of military theaters at an appropriate time and convening the second round of the China-US Intergovernmental Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence.
“Strategic communication helps Beijing and Washington better understand each other in the context of the bigger picture, pave the way for future high-level interactions, boost progress on some specific issues, and help to manage problems,” said Wu Xinbo, dean of Fudan University’s Institute of International Studies.
The Beijing meeting also shows Washington’s readiness to keep ties steady during the remainder of Joe Biden’s term as US president, Wu added.
On the Taiwan question, Wang emphasized that China will surely be reunified and “Taiwan independence” would constitute the biggest risk to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
The US should put into practice its commitment to not supporting “Taiwan independence”, adhere to the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, stop arming Taiwan, and support China’s peaceful reunification, he added.
Sullivan said the US upholds the one-China policy and does not support “Taiwan independence”, “two Chinas”, or “one China, one Taiwan”.
On the economic front, the annual trade volume between the two countries exceeded $660 billion last year.
Wang said “national security needs to have clear boundaries” and should be properly defined in the economic realm.
He asked the US to stop suppressing China in the economic, trade, and science and technology fields, saying that using “overcapacity” as an excuse for protectionism “will harm global green development and affect world economic growth”.
Sullivan said Washington agrees that the two sides should treat each other as equals, competition should be healthy and fair, and the US has no intention of decoupling from China.
Between the US and China, there are differences and competition, as well as many areas for cooperation, he added.
On the situation in the South China Sea, Wang asked the US “not to support and condone the Philippines’ infringement of (China’s) rights and interests”.
Su Xiaohui, deputy director of the Department of American Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said, “If the US persists in perceiving China as an adversary, it will create huge uncertainty for bilateral relations, and also bring about greater risks.”
The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis, the Middle East, and the Korean Peninsula.
Regarding the Ukraine conflict, Wang said Washington should not shirk its responsibility or arbitrarily impose “illegal unilateral sanctions”.
